Congress
The second branch of the Executive Branch of America's Government. The first branch being the Executive, or Bush Branch. The Congress votes on things for the President to sign into law. When the President signs them, he includes a statement at the end indicating whether or not he apporoves of the work Congress is doing. Somewhat like what a teacher does at the bottom of a student's homework. If the President is Republican, ideally Congress would act as a rubber stamp. According to Constitutional scholar Tony Snow, Congress does not have oversight abilities. What The Constitution Allows Congress To Do * provide for the common defense * tax * spend * hold hearings * give themselves raises Houses of Congress The House See list of Representatives Congress is split into two "houses". The adults, The Senate, speak in complete sentences and work in the Adults' Room of the Congress. The other house of Congress, the House, is where the kids go while the Senate is in session. In the Romper Room, there is coloring and finger painting and napping. But sometimes tempers flare up and someone has to take a time out. The Senate See list of Senators The members of the Senate are called "Senators". The members of the House are called "Representatives", because each state picks one kid to "represent" each of their districts. Each state is split into as many districts as it takes for Republicans to have a majority. Every member of Congress is called a Congressman, no matter which house they are in, and even if he is a girl. Members have special assistants to help with Washington's loneliness and soul-crushing workload. They are called interns or pages. Sessions Everytime the Congress gets together to vote on things, they call it a "session". Everytime Congress has a session, they add a number to the name of the Congress. The first time there was a Congress, they were called the First Congress when they first met. The next time, they called themselves the Second Congress, and so on. Congress doesn't meet very often, but when they do, they vote on things of great import and length. These "things" are actually called "bills" because each time Congress votes for something, lobbyists give them many bills. According to Hillary Clinton's favorite political philosopher, when Congress convenes, they never have America's interests at heart. Officers, Committees And Caucuses Officers * Officers Committees See also: Congressional Hearing * Congressional Committees * House of Representatives Committees * Senate Committees * Joint Committees Caucuses *Congressional Caucus Notable Legislation See also: How A Bill Becomes A Law Bills Congress Has Voted On * Patriot Act * Bankruptcy "Reform" * Clean Air Act * Clear Skies Initiative * Faith Based Initiatives * Leave No Child Behind * The "Give a Drunken Frat Boy Authority to Give No-Bid Contracts to His VP's Company" Act Bills Congress Hasn't Voted On * Universal Healthcare * Real Election Finance Reform * Impeaching Criminals for Criminal Activity Congress In The News *The House of Representatives will vote (H.R. 1433) to increase the number of members by 2 (allowing the D.C. rep full voting rights, and adding another at large rep in Utah). If passed, this will bring the number of representatives to 437! * Congress hates America See Also External Tubes * What they're up to *The Best Congress money can buy *Green Ham & Jubjub Juice *Why Congress is better than those foreign parliaments